This invention relates to a vacuum-type circuit interrupter and, more particularly, to a vacuum-type circuit interrupter that is capable of interrupting exceptionally large amounts of current (e.g., 30,000 amperes r.m.s. and higher) between separable contacts of a simple configuration.
References of interest with respect to this invention are the following: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,140,373-Horn; 3,825,789-Harris; 3,497,755-Horn; and 3,624,325-Horn; and British Pat. Nos. 1,025,943 -General Electric Co.; and 1,025,944-General Electric Co.
For many years there have been intensive research and development efforts in the vacuum circuit interrupter field aimed at increasing the amount of current that such interrupters can successfully interrupt. The primary approach to this goal has been to develop special configurations and designs of contacts and electrodes capable of providing the desired current-interrupting capacity. While some of these designs appear quite promising, most are subject to the disadvantage that they are quite complex and consume a relatively large amount of space, both of which factors result in substantially increased manufacturing costs.